Can a cardinal tell a bishop what to do?
Answer
No.
At least, not if you are asking whether a cardinal, simply because he
is a cardinal, has authority over a diocesan bishop who does not happen
to be cardinal.
It might be that the cardinal holds another office
of authority in the Church (say, the head of a Vatican dicastery), and
in that position he might have authority to direct a bishop's action in
certain matters. But it is the office held that confers that authority
on the cardinal, and not the status of being a cardinal.
Cardinals enjoy a certain prestige upon being named
cardinals or "princes of the Church," as they are sometimes called, and
they possess certain special faculties or privileges (for example, the
right to hear sacramental confessions anywhere in the world [CIC 967]).
But, aside from their most famous role as sole electors of the pope (CIC
332 et alia), cardinals are not authority figures in the Church.
Answered by: Edward Peters
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